Top 101 Free Agents of 2023

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast is now less successful than
Ricky Hollywood from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around
the NFL. I'm Dan Hansas, got all the heroes back together,
Greg Rosenthal back, Mark Sessler Combine week. We're holding it

(00:24):
down from Los Angeles this year, but the coverage will
be just as good, if not better. Mark, welcome back.
How is your time away? There's a lot of mystery
whenever Mark's away? Where is Mark? Is he coming back?
The men deserved a vacation, and he took that vacation
and now he has returned. Well. I pulled a the

(00:45):
old trick that Greggy used to do, which I think
I've learned is quite valuable. Which would you often would
do the right after Super Bowl? Yeah, do the thing.
I'd wait till May or June and roll in like
a car that rolled off the road. So it's like
this was actually a next level move by myself for
my smart Yeah, got you. I am with myself. Now
got you two weeks off, so you are fully refreshed.
I feel great. I understand that you were on a

(01:08):
cruise during what is some of the most unfortunate wintry
weather in this region's recent history. How did that guy?
This is an accurate um audible sound. Bye. It was.
It was one of these cruises that you can get
on for very little amount of money, right, And I thought, well, listen,
I have low expectations. But by the way, just not
for nothing. You're a successful Well no, I just see

(01:30):
a personally, I found a park, but found a great deal.
To you, I just found a great deal like it
just you know, so it's like it had everything you need.
But like, um, when we got on, we were initially
supposed to go to catalin Island, right, which is yeah,
it's a nice, glorious and went down to like Ensnata, Mexico.
And the first announcement because if you go on these ships,
like they just pound you with these announcements left rimes

(01:51):
like right, it's like we are wiping Catalina Island off
the schedule right away. So there were no stops essentially,
and they I think they spent one you could do
in a get back to work is mark shovel's coal
into the end. They just spent most of the time
on board, I think trying to steer around inclement weather
rout at sea. It went from a vacation paradise scenario

(02:13):
to get everyone back to shore without water in their lungs.
I mean you could always see um dangerous clouds in
the distance, but I mean I would say otherwise. It
just was, you know, it's the only thing worse perhaps
than going out of cruise during the worst California winter
storm in twenty five years. Moving so and that was
Greg's weekend. That was that was unfortunate. It was. I

(02:37):
didn't at first. I was like, do I use an?
I mean, it was. It was a lot of rain.
It was a lot of rain, a lot of moving
ten years in that place. You know how much junk
piles up over ten years, a lot. You know how much.
I shouldn't have left a lot of the work to
the last minute and did so, so you do. It's
a lot most of his wet um. Well, it's good
to have everybody back together. And this is a big

(02:58):
app Let me feel like a real man as you're
doing a lot of lis for you. You were, you
were doing well. There was just like a lot of
extra stuff on top of the move. We had movers,
of course, but you know there's a lot of extra
stuff in the sea. You find your tool setting all
of that left over work. Emmaca is more of the
handy woman around the house. You're going, you're doing so
well there. Yes, this is a very important episode in

(03:22):
the offseason for US. It's Greg Rosenthal's top one on
one Free Agents is out. Hit me with a little
celebratory horn gesture, justin, I'll give me the other one.
I want more, I want bigger, give me it now.
It is the top one oh one. And he put

(03:44):
a lot of effort into it. Well maybe not as
much us here because he was moving. So we'll go
through Gregs one to one, both the good and the bad.
And I did study it um at great length this morning,
and I do have some issues, okay, great, and I'm
looking forward to those issues. I mean it was published

(04:04):
about twenty five minutes ago. It was you know, I
got some intel inside info had the list. Well, I
mean I had the list, but I like to read
the one thing I like, and I'm starting out bathing
in it now. The little the nuggets, the little write
us that that Greg us, I chew those and I
just stick to the hard data player number. I've got
some I don't know if it's breaking news or even

(04:26):
developing news. You got mad at me last time, but
I just have an update for you for the first
time ever. My byline ONNFL dot Com says Around the
NFL Podcast co host. Yeah, I didn't like that. I
just saw that too. I didn't make that, but I
think at this point, I think they were tired of it,
said editor for a long time. And uh, I mean
I got to see what mine is now at this point,
I mean, I guarantee this was a bang job. You

(04:48):
guys know this doesn't sit well with me. No, we
all worth its hugely important roles on this podcast. It
doesn't exist unless we're all pulling our weight. U. I
am the host of the podcast. I don't like the
co host thing. Oh wow, I didn't know what this
was about you. It is. It's about me. Um, we've
talked about this before. I don't remember it. You're not

(05:11):
gonna like this. It's about me. They actually went completest
and gave me the same title as as yourself and
Greg care So I hope so actually, well, that would
have been upset but a long time because I will
do radioheads and they'll be like Around the NFL editor,
and I know it's not worth correcting. It's not worth correcting.
What if it was just an all caps view talent? WHOA,

(05:31):
this is weird. They updated Dan's too, and it actually
says around the NFL assistant's APT. No, I wouldn't be
here if that was the case. That would be instant
strike material. Um. All right, So anyway, Greggy top one
on one. We're gonna get to it, um, but first
let's do some news and get caught up. I have

(05:57):
seen the future of horror pell Raiser beyond any terror
you have imagined first pell Raiser. I mean, we don't

(06:23):
have a real relationship with Tom yet, but at some
point when we as we continue to build out his nickname,
which I think is going to have grassroots positive ramifications
for the man down the line, because it's about branding.
It's all about branding. It's coming from the new old
Blue Eyes. This could really help Tom. But maybe we

(06:46):
need to connect with him and see if he's cool
with pell Raiser. I think we've rolled out the red
carpet for a potential, you know, association connection. Should we
perhaps set up something where we have Tom on the
show to talk about pell Raiser. I don't know, or
is this something an offline situation. Either it starts to
feel weird if we have this home own nickname and
we have yet to even you know, speak with the man.

(07:09):
These just things to think about. Yeah, I mean, i'd
say this is why you're one of the around the
NFL podcast cost. Exactly of the time we just connect
with the coworker directly. This time we've taken a different route.
But maybe we just explore it further though, you know,
we got maybe we gotta yeah, we gotta meet on
the road of communication. Tom Pellicero the pell Raiser reports

(07:31):
first news item transition. The Rams have had trade talks
about six time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey. League sources
now believe it's very likely Ramsey is dealt in the
coming weeks. Ramseys do seventeen million this upcoming season on
a frontloaded deal. According to pell Raiser, that averages twenty
million in LA is in clearing cap space mode. So

(07:55):
Mark Sessler, would you pay? Would you give up a
first round pick for Jalen Ramsey in two twenty three?
I think if I were the type of team where
you're lower down in the in the draft order and
you feel like you're a Jalen Ramsey away from having
a defense that goes from good to great. I think

(08:16):
he can still be that player. I certainly get why
the Rams are in the mode of moving on from
a number of veterans, considering their cap space, which is
a mess right now, their lack of draft picks, and
just where they kind of sit in the universe, right
I threw out the Patriots number fourteen overall. I threw
Kendrick Bourne in that deal just for fun, I know,
but I know Bill doesn't like Kendrick Boorne. And this

(08:38):
was before this report was out, and now there's actually
rumors that the Patriots could be in the mix for it,
and I would give up the fourteenth overall pick. I
don't think draft picks are overrated because you have that
contract and it's the best chance you have. Basically, those
rookie contracts are what makes pain for all these veterans possible.

(08:58):
But that's a bird in the hand. I think Ramsey
still great. And I was confused, like, why is this
so certain? And then there's been further reporting that Jalen
Ramsey is looking for more money, and that's the key
to all this. You have to give him a new contract,
and that the Rams want to and are willing to
get out in front of this because they're like, we're
not going to give you that new contract. Let's just
like nip this in the bud. This is how we

(09:19):
got you in the first place. You did great for us,
but we don't want to give that contract right now,
so let's just trade you while your values high. And
on the subject of the Patriots, remember it used to
be actually a trope during the Brady era that anytime
a big time player was out there as a trade possibility,
it was always immediately connected to the Patriots. And they
do have a history of collecting high profile guys, so

(09:40):
it makes sense. Jonathan Jones, they moved to the outside
last year. He's a free agent and I think he's
on your list, Greggy, Yeah, in a prominent spot. So
they do have somebody that that slot could be vacated
and filled with Jalen Ramsey. But there I'm sure there
are many other teams that would be interested at the
right price. But that is true. It's two things. You're

(10:01):
gonna probably give up a first round pick, right and
then you got to pay him top of the market,
and then you have to think about it, and we're
gonna get into it the top one on one with
these veterans. Do you are you paying for their prime years? Yeah?
And I don't know if you're paying for Jalen Ramsey's
prime years. When you give him a top of the
market salary and then it turns into a two year deal,

(10:21):
they're allowing some of their top performance of the position
to move on and free and see a year ago
this year potentially then you're gonna give up a first
and then pay him that contract. It's a little atypical
to all contract thing. That's if he can get it,
and he probably can. That's probably where the Patriots bow out.
They like to get the guys when they're at a

(10:41):
lower value. And uh like, Look, if he was a
free agent, he would be number two on my list,
certainly better than your current number two. I mean he
would be the best defensive player available, maybe two or three.
In other RAMS news, Los Angeles has parted ways with
Bobby Wagner. This happened after he recorded on Thursday, always Annoying.

(11:03):
Wagner's release will free up at least five million dollars
in capsie savings, and it could be more depending on
if it's a post June one situation. Anyway, Greggy, this
is a very interesting free agent because Wagner was everything
the Rams could have asked for in his one year
in Los Angeles. He was still Bobby Wagner graded out
very high on PFF and other metrics. And he will

(11:28):
get a job obviously. Then it becomes what kind of
contract he gets. He will be thirty three in June.
This was wild. He was a second team All Pro,
Like he was the best move they made last offseason.
And this really signified to me more than anything that
winning in twenty twenty three is not like the only
or number one objective by the Rams. They're definitely doing

(11:49):
a reset here because there's no way they're better and
they're only saving five plus million. By the way, he's
not on the free agents list now because they're doing
this thing where they're they're going to cut him on
March fIF teen, but I think they're trying to help
him out, and his agents are wanting it out there
like like hey, save your money, Bobby will be available
and every where would he be on you, he'd be

(12:10):
in my top twenty. Levante David is right around twenty
and he'd be ahead of him. It's a good position
in free agency, the off ball linebacker. And to some degree,
and like I think that Wagner, I mean it was
framed by Schefter is sort of being a mutual parting.
I kind of get it. Do you want if you
if you were Bobby Wagner? And it's clear the Rams are,
you know, shifting down from the worst title defense ever

(12:31):
to what is kind of a change in philosophy for them.
It's not just hey, we're one or two major swings
away from adding this veteran or that to win the division,
to go into the playoffs. It's like they feel like,
I'm surprised that Sean McVay actually signed up for this
after all the hemming and hawing about coming back at all.
Everyone should read Our friend Jordan Rodrige wrote a really
interesting piece about Sean mcvayh and the athletic and how

(12:52):
he the soul searching and kind of the collapse mentally
he had last year, and they tied it together that
he's like got his mojo back essentially and he's excited
about the challenge. But I don't know, well, maybe that
was like this, I mean, I get the change in
direction from the front office, but it's weird to me, Well,
look at it from a different perspective. Maybe him coming

(13:13):
back and we're seeing some of the results of that.
Maybe he was like, I don't want to play that
game anymore, Like you were going to give up more
first round picks for a pass rusher last season when
we weren't even in contention, Like we need to start
building this a different way. And if I'm a RAMS
and I know we're probably not winning the Super Bowl
this year, but you know, if they kept on going
on that path that they've been on, they were going

(13:33):
to be a three and fourteen team a year or
two for you can't keep doing it open over and
like McVeigh. One thing that article I thought that was
kind of self aware was he talked about like the
good version of Sean McVeigh can tug everyone along with him, right,
but he's got this other and he knows that he's
got this other McVeigh kind of energy and it comes
from times when he says nothing to people around the
building that can take them a totally different player. I

(13:54):
guess my thought is, like, why isn't that McVeigh gonna
come out again. If they're three and seven and looking
at you know, they have a lot of challenges. They're
losing free agents like Ashan Robinson, Greg Gaines, Nick Scott,
Taylor Rapp, Troy Hill, not all like huge players, but
those are all starters. I think it will come out.
That's a problem. In other news, the increasingly muddled Lamar

(14:15):
Jackson Baltimore Ravens situation. Lamar Jackson has not come out
publicly and talked, but Stephen A. Smith, a very prominent
personality for ESPN, set on first take that Jackson's camp
reached out to him with the following information and it's
important information if true. Jackson's camp claims that Lamar Jackson

(14:39):
has never demanded a fully guaranteed deal from the Ravens.
That's been widely assumed for during this whole process. That
that's the hold up, that Lamar wants all his contract
guaranteed and the Ravens aren't willing to go there. There
It's been reported that the Ravens initial offer or a
current standing offer, is only one hundred and thirty three
mill and guaranteed, which seems like a lot, but considering

(15:03):
what the top of the market guys get it's not
where are we standing on this, Greggy. It does feel
more and more like a possibility of divorce is happening here.
I just thought, this is the first time they've come
out publicly his team and by his team. It's it's
his mom, he as a lawyer of the nfl PA
is helping him. But I think with endorsements and stuff

(15:25):
like that, it's has been his mom and him running
negotiations for them to come out publicly and say we
didn't ask for a fully guaranteed contract. To me who
just was noteworthy, And I'm with you. It feels like
a public back and forth now to the point where
it's almost like the Ravens are laying the groundwork with like, see,
it's not totally our fault. We gotta trade him. I
mean there is the NFLPA has advised Lamar Jackson to

(15:47):
some degree and reporting out there. I mean Demorris Smith
also said at one point that he was trying to
get a fully guaranteed deal. So it's some back and forth,
and I know Daniel a little tired of the mechanics
around the whole thing. Ready, I think everyone's kind of
everyone's ready for it too. Resolved one where it's a
Jets fan. I mean, I'm with you that I feel
like what felt to me like this will get settled,
the Ravens will franchise him, and they'll find a way

(16:09):
to get a deal done. I don't know, it just
learned more. Like I said, it all feels a little
bit muddled. And you know, much has been made about
Lamar Jackson doesn't have an agent, and but then hear
his mother's prominently involved, and I just I want to say,
an alarm butt bell went off a week or two
ago when I read it. But I was just like,
this is kind of strange, Like, so it's his mother

(16:32):
and then he's the NFLPA. The union is directly involved
in some capacity as well advisory as an advisory role,
and I'm just like, at some point, I'm just thinking
to myself, like, you have all these different cooks, you know,
why don't you have an agent, like a high power
agency that knows how to handle these situations. But I

(16:52):
can't say how whether he's doing it right or wrong
until we see how this ends. It's just interesting to
me that the union is involved in the union also,
for what it's worth, filed a grievance last season, accusing
teams of colluding to not give quote certain quarterbacks fully
guaranteed contracts, so they have a stake in it. So
it's gotten kind of bigger than your typical negotiation, no doubt.

(17:16):
And I here's the thing. I think them holding a
hard line and wanting a fully guaranteed contract or something
close to it makes total sense. We talked about this
a year ago that like the only way for the
quarterbacks to actually get close to what they're worth were
to be to play at out like Kirk Cousins, because
we've seen it. The only time an actual decent, like
above average starting quarterback got to free agency, Kirk Cousins

(17:38):
got at then a record setting contract, got guaranteed money
last year. The only time we can think of lately
were a young player who's in the ballpark of Lamar
Jackson's talent was available and that was via trade, got
not only a fully guaranteed contract, he did it while
he was about to be suspended by the league for
like terrible off field behavior and he got it so

(18:00):
because you had four teams bidding. I think if Lamar
Jackson was a free agent, he would get a preposterously
big contracts, so why not push for that. I do too,
and I do think it's a situation a little bit
where if the Ravens there's not a question about Lamar
Jackson and the talent and what he's brought to Baltimore,
but like that relationship, maybe they would be willing to
part with them, where another team's like, I don't really

(18:20):
care if we have to pay him that kind of
money or what we have to give up. If you're
the Jets, for instance, where the owners come out and said,
we are going to get this guy, and maybe you're
shooting a little higher than Derek Carr if you really
want to become a Super Bowl contender, then it's like
the picks the money make a lot more sense to
another team that has had no in house experience with
Lamar Jackson or this drama. And the one thing I've
learned from this process personally is, you know, don't let

(18:43):
the wool get pulled over your eyes when the team
sends their coaching GM out there and tells you everything's fine,
because that's not the case with this situation, even though
that's exactly what happened with Harbaugh and DaCosta. Last month,
and I thought, I think it's interesting that, for instance,
the hiring of Todd Montkin, remember how much was made

(19:04):
of like, you know, we want to keep Lamar happy,
we want him involved with the process. And then it's
also Stephen A. Smith also came out and saying, this
is a quote from Smith, Lamar Jackson was never consulted
or talked to or asked what his opinions would be
about the play caller. He was informed, this is your
new boss at the offensive coordinator spot, who will be
calling plays for you. Okay, I mean there's a lot

(19:25):
of writing on the wall that the Ravens are like,
that's a gripe from his camp, from the campers, the campers,
let's send Let's send the campers home soon enough. It's
your camp, Sonny side Acres, camp happiness. That's what we
call things were before the world would say, I would
actually counter that things were impure at times. That's that
was that's part of what made it so pure for you. Yeah,

(19:49):
just it's a life experience. In other news, a competition
committee they're you know, they're at that stage of the
league year where they're talking about potential rule changes for
twenty twenty three. How about the push play also known
as the the quarterback um h, and then the extra

(20:12):
gross one, the tush push, which I hate. Tush is
something like you're your aunt says at Thanksgiving like, oh,
let me, let me pinch that tush. We didn't need
to bring it back and don't need it, don't want it, Darlina,
Why is your aunt such a freak she does, aunt,
LOGI pinches the tush. She's just like riding around pinching

(20:34):
everyone's hello boundaries. Uh um. Anyway, so the committee is
talking about whether to outlaw that play, which um has
become mark a a really effective play. We saw it
with the Eagles all season long, including the Super Bowl,
and now they're thinking, do we need some legislation? So

(20:55):
this isn't like rugby? Are you kidding me? Yeah? Dean
plan Dino mentioned that it has too much of the
aura of a rugby scrumming at the NFL's the NFL
love seeing Blandino, Yeah, because nobody dresses Nobody dresses more
different than you would expect than Dean Blandino. Okay, whenever
we see the Dean at the super Bowl, it's cool jeans,

(21:17):
it's big leather boots high it's a shirt that costs
a good amount of money. And then maybe like a
bitch in leather jacket. And it's always like dno, I
had that experience to the own. Yeah, like he had
an entourage, but you've seen him around Santa Monica. That's true. Yeah,
with kind of like a hard not dressed to impressed
though when he's with the kids. I would think keep

(21:37):
picking up the kids. Um, but yeah, it's like it's
still he presents. Can I is he allowed to have
a personal style? Say something? I think he? Um, I
like it? What's the what's the word? I believe he
surpasses the idea of cool dad too. He's actually existing
in a plane where like I just I just cool,

(21:58):
that's me. Yeah, And I think that's just a prizing
And it was actually the same party that we talked
about me trying to get the attention of the RAMS CEO.
I mean this party had some heavy hitters. We're talking
about the tush push. I think the Eagles are getting
punished for being so good at it a little bit entirely.
Every Like Sean Patin's like, well if every everyone could

(22:19):
go do it, like we're gonna install that, and every
every team around the league is doing it. Well, why
didn't they do it? They couldn't do it. They don't
have Jalen Hurts in that offensive line. Like I do
think everyone is crying poor a little bit because you
have maybe the strongest running quarterback alongside Cam Newton, and
in the history of the NFL. His quads are bigger
than most of your quarterbacks put together. Like, you don't

(22:42):
have that offensive line, You're not as like Daring Dew
in terms of how you call it. You're not as
well coached. I don't think everyone would do it or
will do it, because they would be doing it. No,
you're right, and it's a little annoying to me. They
only they only made it for being so good. They
only allowed it to become. They had a rule around
until sixteen years ago you couldn't, and then for the
past sixteen years you could, and until the until this season,

(23:04):
when was it an issue? How about like, why isn't
the response we're defenses, We'll catch up and figure way
to stop it. We had to go rule change it.
I mean, well, that's a great point. Mark, I got
all right, justin I got our June eighteenth show. We
open with Tom Pelsero, Okay, we have a frank conversation

(23:24):
about his nickname. Then we bring in Dean Blandino and
we just talk sartorial choices, fashion, Dean on fashion, and
then maybe if we can get him sharing some maybe
gossip nuggets beachside town rumors with about Greg Rosenthal that
maybe he's heard, don't think he's aware of fashion existence.

(23:44):
And then we close with Cavon roll him in Hannibal
Lecter style. I believe that is the week of the
nfl um media Thing media summit. All right, let's make
it twenty fifth I think I think that's a good
June episode. I literally would be at a loss on
how to follow up with cavan I think two out
of three of those are very realistic gets for us.

(24:06):
Which one which two? Which one do you think is
not realistic? The one who's been on the pod many times,
three times? I feel like he would be the one
that was the most realistic. I don't We'll see. I
don't know what our booking department would say if we
requested him again. I don't think he'll well, he'll remember,
but not when they asked him. He'll remember once the conversation.
The minute he sees us on screen, he might remember

(24:28):
our antics, the athletic moving on, great publication, do nice work.
Purchased by the New York Times. You're so go, nice investment.
Goodbye by the Gray Lady. Yeah. They reported that Russell
Wilson last February asked the Seahawks the ownership, specifically to

(24:50):
fire head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider.
If this is to be believed, Seahawks and said, okay, bro,
thanks for the input, and then they turned around and
traded him to the Broncos. And here's how Russell Wilson
responded to this report. I love Pete and he was

(25:14):
a father figure to me, and John believed in me
and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired.
All any of us wanted was to win. I'll always
have respect for them and love for Seattle. Focused on
moving forward best as a head. Who do you believe?
Who you got? I mean, are you kidding? Come on?
Klem Kaylor, Mike Sando, and Jason Jenks, who wrote this

(25:36):
article are all like incredible reporters. They don't put something
that big without knowing for a fact that That's what happened.
There's no question he wanted them gone. Good. Retort, good,
Russell Wilson and I throw a sexy deep ball also good.
How does it How would any of that just bubble
up out of literally thin air? I mean, there was

(25:56):
reporting around how unhappy he was for years. Pete Carroll
was at the center of it. I just think it
shows because the one thing that was the best part
of the Russell Wilson Pete Carroll stuff out of the
gate was that Pete Carroll and John Schneider went atypical
in the draft to find a quarterback that once Russell
Wilson succeeded, change the way we draft quarterbacks and think
about quarterback stature. All of that was great. In the end,

(26:18):
I think it unmasked Russell Wilson as where he is now,
and it went all through last season in Denver as
someone overtaken entirely by Hubris, who literally forgot what Pete
Carroll did for me. I'm not saying it was a
perfect relationship. It ran its course, it got ugly and
needed to end. But the idea that Russell Wilson is
putting a statement out and had nothing to do with
this and never said any of this or try to
wield his power to me as utter nonsense. Lawyers contact

(26:40):
the Athletic oh with a statement that they were kind
of like a firearm or anything. Most of the article
is more about how much he dominated Nathaniel Hackett though
in their relationship in I didn't love to hear considering
he's now employed by the Getropolitans. Wow, he's back in
the Peter Principal good spot. Though I hope down where
he should. We can only hope that. We can only
hope right the idea of what Russell Wilson was doing,

(27:04):
they were having these Tuesday meetings at he had all
the players attending. Okay, that part makes sense, but then
he started just like showing plays of like when he
was playing well, and they were like, what's going on here?
You're just like showing us like, hey, I used to
be good and well. There was also for what it's within,
there was also there was a lot of people on
record saying he worked hard. Clearly he was plugged in,

(27:28):
and it wasn't necessarily that he was like aloof and detached.
It was just it wasn't working. They did also have
the he had his office, which was on the second level.
Like we talk about shadowy league figures on the show
a lot and a lot of the disconnect is just
about office layout sometimes where you know, we would be
down in the news room with everybody else down there,
and then you had these people making decisions that we

(27:49):
never even really saw the fact that the quarterback's office
was where all the other the way was putting the
article and was put well. Like usually when the players
are up on the floor where Russell wilson office was, uh,
you're usually like being cut where like your career is
taking a terrible turn. He was up there with those people,
and then his entire wall was filled with play designs

(28:12):
and also motivational scrawl, which totally checks out. We also
had a staff up there. He had three people that
he brought along that he essentially made them and Sean
Payton said all that they got the whole thing that
keep exciting. He wanted Sean Payton as the replacement in Seattle.
And so you kind there's the you know, the that's

(28:33):
almost the good spin on all this, right, or the
joke out there that he subconsciously tanked last year to
get Sean Payton into Denver. But the first thing Peyton
said when they had kind of the meet and greet
with him was like, wait, so Russell Wilson has got
his own coach, He's got all this extra stuff adorning
him on the day to day. Will he will any
of that be allowed? And Sean Payne was like, absolutely not,
we don't do that, Like he'll be coached by my staff.

(28:54):
He hired a new publicist, and none of it would
matter if he could, you know, play the guitar as
Dan would. That's the thing is, he couldn't play the guitar.
And it was like this unmasked situation where yes, Hackett
got run over a little bit and that's not what
you needed. But I don't know if he had been
a great coach whether it would matter that I was
gonna say. And this isn't really a defending hackeck because

(29:14):
he played it wrong ultimately. But the whole idea was
Wilson was getting this fresh start, and he was always
he always struggled with the power dynamic and being used.
He always thought he could be used maybe more aggressively
as a passer and as a leader of the offense.
And now he was getting this chance and Hackett went
all in on the quarterback. You could hear his voice

(29:36):
and that press conference like, I'm okay with this kind
of being a co CEO situation where it's me and
Russ because I know he's a stud. And then when
he couldn't play in Denver, that was catastrophic for everyone
involved and nobody. I know, Greg, you you were on
record that you saw him as maybe in decline. Nobody
saw him doing what he did in year one the

(29:59):
league because I think now we've just accepted how this
all happened, and you just adjust and get used to it.
But it is one of the crazier stories we've ever seen.
Eight o'clock to light widely presumed. First QB off the board,
Bryce Young he will not throw at the combine, which
starts later this week. Ohio states C J. Stroud and

(30:20):
Florida's Anthony Richardson. Will the Lions cut ties with the
veteran Michael Brockers Adam to the top one oh one?
Or do you n he didn't make it? He gone?
Jack's Jags resigned Roy Robertson, Harris and Sam Hurd. Remember
Sam Hurd. Sam Hurd is out of prison after a

(30:43):
ten year bit. Sam Hurd was a major trafficker of cocayana,
but also was a special teams player for the Cowboys.
One of the crazy sports stories in recent memories in
that order. I remember covering this for PFT and it
just was wild because it was like you used to
hearing little off field stories and then you found out that, oh,

(31:04):
being a special teamer was just a little side hustle
as he was moving at least like when he got
caught by federal agents five to ten kilos at about
twenty five per week though, per week. So that's that's
a multimillion dollar operation. Booger Sugar, that's a ton of

(31:25):
blow bro. I just looked at Dan's face after uttering
that phrase. I just wanted to say, booger sugar. But
I hope he I hope he's learned from his transgressions.
And yeah, he served ten to fifteen years. It just
was like a sort of fascinating NFL story back in
the day that I feel like it was forgotten. Yeah,
they should. They could have made it. They would have

(31:46):
made like a Netflix movie about that, if that was
a thing at the time. Never generated more than three
hundred fourteen yards in a season, but he did generate
um other transactions from what we understand, perhaps some addictions.
We got moved a lot of product. All right, that's
what's happening in the news. We'll take a break and
we will hit the top one oh one. Welcome back

(32:25):
every year. At this time, Greg Rosental sits down and
looks at all of the available free agents, both the
guys that are out there right now and the guys
that will be out there effectively. I don't know what
he's in March fifteenth or thereabouts started the new league.

(32:47):
Here they are his top one on one free agents.
Why is it one on one? Remind the audience, guys
just settled on that as just a little little something extra,
little little land yap for you, symmetrical your basic SI
it's one hundred. We're gonna give you lil something next job. Right.
It shows that you're just grinding a little bit harder.
And we'll here, we did ninety nine and no one

(33:07):
like that didn't grind is hard. That showed the work
wasn't being done, but now it is. And we'll get
to who number one on one is, because that's part
of the fun. You always want to have a bit
of a name brand there and you do again this year. Um.
So we're gonna get into this and Mark and I
will share things that we agree with, we will share
disagreements with you, Greggy. UM, but I guess a good

(33:31):
way to start here is and first of all, and
this isn't Greg's set up blurb, just so everyone knows
each when we talk about their listed age, it's where
they'll be week one, and you see that on the
website where you can find at NFL dot com slash
one one. And the ranking will be updated as players

(33:53):
are released and become unrestricted free agents, so this will change,
but this is where it is right now. What did
you kind of big make sure thoughts, Greggy before we
dive into this. This list compared to recent years, is
in a stronger class, weaker class, anything else that kind
of stood out to you as you did the section.
I feel like it was a bad it's a bad
class that the drop off around twenty five was even

(34:14):
greater than normal that year. There's always plenty of players.
It's like a one year contract league, so it's not
hard getting to one hundred, but I thought there were
fewer above average starters available than ever, and especially pass
rusher wide receiver, you just couldn't. You can't find anyone,
there's no one available. The NFL is showing you what

(34:35):
they value in who they won't even let get to
free agency. Pass rushers, wide receivers, offensive linemen are not
getting to free agency, especially tackles. Do you think teams
have gotten better about with the contract structuring in the
cap of not letting these guys get to this point
to get to this list? And it's easier. I think
it challenges like the better team, the better if you're

(34:56):
if you're one of these, Remember the Dolphins teams have
old they would throw a ton of money at a
bunch of players that we're just like shaking our heads,
like this is sort of for savvier teams to dig
through this list and find the guys that are the gems. Yeah,
now you find like the one year, nine million dollar
contracts like James Bradberry was for the Eagles last year,
and like, those are the nice deals that they slipped
through the cracks. But it's not a lot of great

(35:17):
value overall. It's the whole thing I would slap on
the entire exercise is buyer beware and just like you're saying,
there's a reason a lot of these guys got to
free agency, why they were allowed out the door. And
in many cases, these are guys that are closer to
thirty in many cases than their prime seasons. And the

(35:39):
wide receiver group, I think is a good a very
good example. And there aren't a lot of good wide
receivers out there. But like, if you're a team builder,
now are you gonna go pay for a twenty eight
year old, twenty nine year old wide receiver and give
him good money when A there's a chance that he's
not the guy that you think he's going to be
And B we're seeing increasingly that you can go get

(36:02):
a wide receiver in the draft that could impact your
offense immediately and be cost effective at that That was
a And there's one wide receiver that really got on
my nerves that you had him so high. But well,
we're gonna get to it. I think I have an idea.
I think it was, why why do we have to
want to let's sorry, why is O'Dell fifteen on your list?
How is that happening? So position scarcity matters. Quarterbacks are higher,

(36:23):
wide receivers are higher. Pass rushers are higher than they
probably would be because I think they're worth more and
unlike the rest of the receiver's available Jacoby Myers, Jiujuicimith Schuster,
DJ Chark, eventually Michael Thomas OBJ. I think has a
potential to be a bigger difference maker than those guys.

(36:43):
So you get him on a one or two year deal,
I will see how much he costs. I don't think
that's that crazy high you do fifteen I mean struggled
with him versus Jacoby Myers. So I think it's a
really good player. You could put drop him into any
offense and he's gonna help you. He's a good route runner.
But would you rather have him or Obj? I mean
I wouldn't take either of him. I mean, thank Myers
is fine. Very. I mean it has to be a very.

(37:07):
We don't need this music justin very ominous. Yes, No,
like I would. I'd be okay with Jakobe Meyers on
a short term deal. But everything you're hearing about Odell,
for instance, is that he's looking for a multi year
deal and he wants security and he wants a true home.
And it's like, am I going to roll the dice?
And a guy I don't even know the last time
he had a one thousand yard season. I know, you
look good in the playoffs, but then he'd even play

(37:28):
last year, and I thought his whole, like a free
agency tour that he went on late last season was
a bit of a la Ravil mcnifico on its own, right.
I just I don't need that guy around when I
can just get a younger player in the draft. Yank,
It's like he's the kind of guy where it's not
like any team should come after him, and you should
have these self awareness to know that he doesn't really
fit who we are right now, but you are months

(37:50):
more removed from the injury. If he's healthy, someone liked
the Bills that was sort of in the airs courting
someone like Odell Beckham. I could see that differently than
if like the Titans went and tried I mean not
amy that at you, Graver, but just like a team
that's like in rebuild, no, losing a ton of guys,
do you build that team around Odell? No, He's like
he's a little cherry on top. Maybe I'm very easily swayed.
You know, I could just move him down, But fifteen

(38:11):
just seems so. I know there's a position scarcity, but
that doesn't mean like I think it's in twenty twenty five,
and like where would O'Dell fit in there? Like, I
think it's more of a name. He would not drop
below thirty in any in any scenario for me, whether
you would put him below Myers, Smith Schuster, who are contributors,
I could go either way. This is why I need

(38:32):
West pushing back West. And I did this list, of
course for for years and years. I'm curious where where
he would have had Odell he was always a huge fan.
But I do think some of these guys, like big
time veterans who've had a really high level of production
and they're coming off injuries, those are actually the guys
that end up becoming good values. Why was James Bradberry
on the market and no one wanted him? I understand

(38:54):
the Giants trade him, cut him late in the offseason,
but he still was like a very high level player
had shown it at certain points, and so those guys
get a little extra For me, I think OBJ could matter. Yeah,
Odell had I mean a thousand yards nearly on the
nose and eighteen and nineteen, but that's averaging like sixty
yards a game. His last big time year where he

(39:16):
was a guy that mattered was twenty sixteen during the
regular season, and it is fair. He was very good
for the rams down, the stretching in the plast before
he blews acl interesting guy, he will get a job.
I just thought he was a little high where what's what?
How about you? Mark? While we are on receivers, like
last year, everyone mocked the Jags for going huge on
Christian Kirk and Za Jones, Like, oh my god, he

(39:38):
paid Kirk's seventeen million dollars a year. I think that's
like what Jacoby Myers is gonna get. Oh my god,
he paid Zaid Jones seven to eight million dollars a years.
Like year, receivers teams need like four receivers each and
those guys ended up being good and the Jacks weren't
getting the benefit of the doubt. Coming off what was
a clown car season now feels a lot different. Mark
something that's to me, Well, first one, I think Jakobe Myers,

(39:59):
if I'm the Patriot, it's just keep him, like, find
a way to resine him, because I don't know who
else that they who whe else they're going on that position.
I always struggle with like the placement of Derek car
But I want to tell you one guy because I
think it's a good it's a good safety class, better
than cornerback. But like Chauncey Gardner, Johnson at number seven
is probably where he's not landing on a lot of
other people's lists. I know you like him, but I
like him a lot too, And I think he's the

(40:20):
kind of guy. When I talk about this free agent
class in general, it's like, do you swing for the
fences for someone who might not give you the money
you give? But this guy I think changes literally like
see changes the attitude of a defense. And I thought
he did that for Philadelphia, was awesome with the Eagles
when he was healthy, And if the right team adds him,
he's the kind of guy that you look back in
January be like that was an absolutely key ingredient to

(40:42):
our defensive building. Safety is getting no love, but just
feels like every team could use a guy like that
that can play slack corner, that can play safety, that
can hit. He got fine for that hit he made
in the Super Bowl. They didn't even penalize him. Remember
that that monster hit on the last drive of the game.
So many safeties are availed about Jordan Poyer. I think
sounds like he kind of wants out of Buffalo. He's

(41:03):
talking about the state tax and that it's too cold,
and Jesse want to play in Miami, right, I mean
he's been there on Jesse Bates is out there, Von Bell,
Donovan Wilson, Jimmy Warts. So you can find safeties and
that might depress some of their values. But I appreciate
that Dan asked you to come after me with something
you didn't like, and you didn't even do that. Well,

(41:24):
I know I said that Derek Derek cart number six,
I didn't. I have an issue with Derek Carr with
teams label. Loom is like he's going to take us
to the next level. He's gonna keep you adequate. See,
this is what happens when when we're handing out you know,
co host titles like Lollipops. You could just disregard my setup.
I'm just a co host. You know, you'd like to

(41:45):
be really bothered. You want to and we're pushing against you,
and then no, I just I would like to hear though, Mark,
what what is something that you disagreed with I kind
of don't think that I like. I don't like where
Derek Carr is. I just don't like him in number six.
And I think the problem is that he's a quarterback,
so he's gonna give you more than a safety or
a cornerback. And it's not a great like market in

(42:07):
general for these free agents. But I the whole landing
spot of Derek Carr is the thing of the offseason
that I struggle with the way he's going to be
marketed to us until real, real games. But we don't
have to do with that. He's asking for about thirty
five million, which sounds right to me. That's about the
level I think Car would get it. And I struggled
both him and Daniel Jones. They're five and six. I

(42:27):
couldn't decide who do you put higher? Daniel Jones a
Car and I have to admit they were. They were
both around fourteen fifteen initially, and then I started going
through it and I'm like, I'm really gonna have him
lower than Mike McGlinchey, who's like a good starting tackle
but not like an amazing one. These aren't great names.
Deron Payne, who had a big season for the Washington Commanders,

(42:48):
but ultimately he's like their third best defensive lineman, a
good player. They're close enough to the level at their
position that Derek Carr is at quarterback that you got
to move them up. To me. If you put him
on the Jets, they're just a better team. I think
above average or even average starting quarterbacks are just worth
the premium. I don't, yeah, I don't understand how you

(43:08):
could have him out of the top ten. I mean
if you look at this exercise and in years past,
and you look at the raw numbers, and I know
that doesn't mean everything. And there are reasons why Derek
Carr makes you scratch your head with some of the
you know, mistakes he makes and the fact that the
Raiders have never really had a big run. But that's
not just on him. They've never had a half decent

(43:30):
defense when he was there. And you look at his production,
his raw production, if through the seasons is excellent, especially
for a guy that's still thirty one years old. He's
gonna be thirty two in week one, absolutely like you
have Gino at two. Let me just say the top ten.
I'll go top ten here. Let's let's give a little context,
even though you should check it out on NFL dot com.

(43:52):
Lamar one obvious, Gino two, Jason Hargrave, Javon Hargrave, the
defensive attack for the Eagles three, Orlando Down tackle Chiefs. Four.
You have Jones five, Daniel Jones, you have Car six,
you have Gardner Johnson seven, James Bradberry eight, Jesse Bates nine,
and then say Quon ten. Like Car for what he's

(44:13):
proven and his durability and his ability to produce, He's
so far ahead of all the other quarterbacks to me,
including Geno Smith, that I would have him at two personally,
and I would. I know Gino has coming off a
great year, but I would have had Gino. Maybe I would.
I would flip him probably. I'd probably have Gino behind
Daniel Jones and Car too. H. I don't agree, but

(44:34):
I but I also think that Derek Carr has been
a lightning rod for debate for his entire career because
you can frame his production from certain angles. Because every
time you tweet about Derek Carr, raiders fans come out,
oh the comeback drives and said it's like but then
from another angle, it's like He's just Derek Carr, and
I just don't see how he's going to be more
than that. He's adequate, right. It's also not a great

(44:55):
list for quarterbacks, so him being second on the list
doesn't do a lot for me. I think Gino's ceiling
is higher ceiling being kind of where he was last year,
but I think he can get better. Maybe it's a
type of quarterback I like. I think he really did
learn a lot because I think he is similar to
Eli and Philip Rivers to me in that he can
play a style that some years is gonna have a

(45:17):
lot of turnovers. But I think he can do everything.
He can see the field so well, he can make
next level throws. Derek Cart to me is like a
little more mechanical, so Daniel Jones, but they're all in
the same ballpark. Jimmy g is the next one down
at quarterback, and that is one of the defining traits
of this free agents in class. There's way more quarterbacks.
Those three top ones, Daniel Jones, Gino, and Lamar aren't.

(45:39):
I don't think they're gonna be free agents. They're gonna
get tagged and maybe in Lamar's keys traded, but there
really will be free agents, So Jimmy G's gonna be
a free agent. He's down to twenty ye Garoppolo twenty nine,
and I think that's good. I think that that's one
of my takeaways when I looked at this with these
teams that are looking for a quarterback, and there are
a few where it's very obvious that they need QB

(46:01):
help and they want to go get a veteran. If
you don't end up with Aaron Rodgers and if you
don't get Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson doesn't head your
way and you're settling for Jimmy G. I think that's
bad news. I think Jimmy G is a guy who
is always hurt, and I don't think he'll ever produce

(46:22):
at the level he's produced with Kyle Shanahan with that team.
So I think the team that ends up getting him
is going to sign up thinking we might get that
great looking or very good version that we've seen flashed
in the last couple of years, but we'll probably end
up getting is a less productive but still injury prone dude.
That's who I don't want the Jets to end up with.

(46:43):
And I think other teams that are in the market
for veteran quarterback feel the same way. So I like
where he is on the list here. It'll be telling
if they don't really go after considering their institutional knowledge
that they've had over the years. I know Lafleur's not there,
but Jacobeer sat at forty four. It was hard to
rank these guys. Teddy's down at sixty three. Still put

(47:04):
him in. That does feel is that? I mean, you,
I know who we've got when we go to one
oh one. I don't have a problem with being far
ahead of that guy. But Teddy up where he's done.
We're like talking. We're talking about durability. His durability hurt
the Dolphins a lot this past season, and his on
field performance is a bee. I'd tell you these quarterbacks highly.
It's one reason I don't think it'd be crazy for
the Bears to like consider, you know, drafting a quarterback

(47:28):
to upgrade or have both and then see what happens.
Andy Dalton's at eighty three. I just I just feel
like those guys are ultimately more valuable than the players
around them, you know, if you have to do it
in context of like Teddy Bridgewater or Kaiser White, like,
do you want you're a good enough who's sixty starting

(47:48):
off ball linebacker, or do you want like a really
high level backup quarterback, which is what I remember. You
still rather have the backup quarter do you? Ustell Us
craft the uh the top one hundred lists for the
summertime filling stuff, and like I would put eight quarterbacks
because it's like, I don't value into these guys, so
I get where you're coming from. But like I guess
it's like if you're looking to fill certain positions quarter

(48:10):
an average quarterback, overtaking like a star offensive guard or tackle.
I think that's where it's a tough debate. The thing
there's no stars, like where there are really stars on
this list. It's not a star driven list. It's it's
role players, guys who will help you out and hopefully
can start for you. Javon Hargrave, though, is an example
by the way of a guy who was a free agent.

(48:31):
We say buy or be aware. That contract he signed
with the Eagles last time around looks incredible. I don't
think he was in our top twenty. He signed three
for forty five and he was one of the best
players in the league. So it can't happen. Um, just
cycling back to Teddy, I like, there's little butter knife
in going out with the stats here with Teddy in
your blurb, Teddy two gloves had career highs and yards
for attempt eight point six and touchdown percentage five point

(48:52):
one on just seventy nine pass attens for Miami with
both of his starts cut short by injury. That the
last part of the sent This is the most important
part of it. He can't stay healthy either. Well, he
did give me Andy Dalton, who's twenty some odd spots lower.
He did start twenty nine He started every game. Uh No,
he started twenty nine games the two previous seasons, and

(49:13):
the reasons he didn't start the other games was he
was benched. Right, Well, that's not a huge selling point,
but I'm just saying he's coming. He doesn't have a
long history of being injured. At least the last three years.
He's been pretty hell, you know with the ten thing.
And I know you're riding high after the Geno victory,
but I even went and looked up like, I think
he's a good quarter When we talked about like his

(49:34):
Carolina year and how the Panthers should have just kept him.
Like his last ten starts with Carolina or nine touchdowns
and ten starts they went one and nine in the starts.
He passer rating was blow league score scouting. I think
he watched him. He had his shortcomings, for sure, but
he was a guy who was moving the football. He
was the only person who ever moved to football in

(49:54):
Matt Rule's offense. Okay, you know it's necessarily season was
not was no treat lost every game he started down
the stretch and he didn't score at Why are we
talking Teddy that. I'm just saying, you know, you have
him so high and it did get on my radar?
What else? What else for you? Mark? I would ask
one question though about the whole this, Would you ever
flip the draft and free agency? I would love to

(50:16):
because we're talking about like like what if you make
if you write, I think it would hurt veterans obviously,
because a lot of these guys would not be needs,
but you could fill in all these big spots, especially
on quarterback well right, but the Union wouldn't want it,
But it just seems like it would clear up a
lot of the weirdness around free agency. And the deals
that don't make sense at this point, because it's like
my issue with these quarterbacks is if you go get

(50:38):
a Jimmy g like you're selling that and then maybe
you don't do that in the draft, you don't go
trade up for the right guy in the draft or something,
and you're stuck in middle tier mezzanine level. I think
it'd be a better better for the league. The NBA
has their draft first, It just makes more sense. I
don't think it would actually hurt the players necessarily because
I think it would create like ultra needs. It just

(51:00):
doesn't make logical sense to me. Maybe it would hurt
the players. I don't really know. But like these running backs,
for instance, there's such good running backs available, but I
do think like depending on the class that's out there
in the draft, like that'll diminished the spending because people
feel like we can fill those holes. I have a
good value at running back. Yeah, there's a lot of them,

(51:21):
and I think maybe he's a little low, maybe I
have him a little higher. But I can't really quibble
because running backs, obviously they have a different value in
the open market because of their position. But Miles Sanders
is a fifty six for you. Yeah, and I was
thinking about one team in particular, Like everybody's been connecting
the Bills. They got to add some some more talent,
you know. Oh, maybe they'll get se Quon, Oh maybe

(51:42):
they'll get Derrick Henry. How about Miles Sanders to a
team like the Bills, And he's coming off a season
where he was kind of back to himself. He had
a lost twenty twenty one, and he had nearly fourteen
hundred total yards this past season. He was a very
big contributor to one of the best offenses in the league.

(52:02):
Miles Sanders at twenty six years old in Week one,
give him to me, especially if the price is right right,
his question will be like, is he a difference maker?
He put thirteen hundred yards up in his rookie year,
he did it last season, but he was in the
best situation ever. And is he much different than a

(52:22):
Damien Harris. Yeah, let's singletary who I like? These are
all lower on the list. David Montgomery. Montgomery outside your
top one hundred, I think that I'd have a gripe
with that. To me, he's kind of just a guy,
but he does what's happening down in that eighties and nineties.
I just think he fits in that world. I had
so many running backs there too, most Jamal Williams is

(52:44):
there with Shad Penny, who was hurt lest year. There's
just so many guys available to But to me, there's
three difference makers. I think running backs have been under
rated on some level. Uh And I think sae Quon
and Josh Jacobs and Pollard to a lesser degree, will
It'll be interesting to see Pollard I might have had
above sa Quon, and I certainly would have had above
Josh Jacobs. Raiders fans aren't like that, but he's coming

(53:07):
off of a really serious broken leg and ankle injury.
But those three guys, to me, are difference makers. You
can't tell me they're worth less than like a slot
receiver or Roy Robertson Harris just got three for thirty.
I just can't buy it that they're worth less than
Roy Robertson Harry going back to the first name, like,
I can't, I can't be on board with Josh Jacobs

(53:27):
being behind O'Dell Beckham on this list. Jacobs, I think
is had an excellent season, had a lot of touches,
But I think he's somebody. He's still just twenty five
years old. He's a guy that I would That's the
type of deal I would do in three agency guys
that are in their mid twenties at running back. That's
I'm okay with that. You have sa Quan at ten,
He's obviously your highest running back. I'm kind of fascinated.

(53:48):
But to see what kind of deal sa Quon gets
um if he doesn't come back with the Giants in
and I know, Pollard, who you have? What do you
have twenty three? How much of the leg injury effect
in his rank? King? Would he be significantly Higher'd be
in the top fifteen. Okay, that makes sense to me
as long as the rehab goes right. I would be
stunned that the Cowboys didn't bring them back and didn't

(54:09):
just ask Zeke to take a massive haircut as ze
could use air. I mean, also, like, let's move on
from Zeke and nine. But Tony Pollard, I think you
could These guys are all franchise tag clear cut tag candidates.
I think for each of those running backs, that's true.
Se Quon might not get the tag just because they
have to use it for Daniel Jones, right, Josh Jacobs

(54:29):
would be interesting. I mean they didn't he was another guy.
They didn't give the fifth year option like that. That
came back to haunt the Giants. With Daniel Jones, the
Raiders were sitting out there with no quarterback. Right now,
here's what I'd be a little worried about with Jacobs.
Though three ninety three touches last year by far the
most of his career. He's been pretty durable as a pro.
But did the Raiders get his best year? You know

(54:51):
that is easily leading the whole thing in a lot
of ways. With these free angels. Let's take a break
and then we'll do something fun. All right, we are
back justin Graver the grave digger. What's up, buddy? Hey,

(55:12):
how's it going? Just give your finger above that button
the whole show. I don't care what else you're doing. UM,
let's do something here. Let's let's spin the wheel of destiny.
UM with the player. We're gonna talk about we got
the one on one, the top one on one here, UM,
eliminate the guys we've already talked about. Spin the wheel
and wherever it lands, we're gonna have a conversation about

(55:33):
that player. Hit it all right, here we go. God,
I hope it's someone somewhat interesting, but you can always
like to spin off to a side conversation that's fair
to the fun. We got number ninety eight Larry Ogan Jobi.
That's great, go ahead, Greggy. So he's a guy though

(55:53):
that everyone gets excited because he makes those couple of
slash plays every year. But then you see like the
Browns kind of didn't really want him back and the
Bengals I think we're happy. I mean, the Bengals were
happy with him, but not as happy as they were
with b J. Hill. And like he's one of those
guys when you keep coming back to free agency. To me,
that's a little bit of a red flag sign. That
huge deal with the Bears that fell through because of

(56:14):
the physical spin it again, nice little uh compent. I
thought we were going to just like have some Steelers
like defense stock. I'm sorry, forty Ben Powers. I like
the getting the random names because offensive guard aged twenty six. Okay,

(56:37):
so this week one this gets to um, why you
know when you peep behind the curtain, sometimes the one
on one's a little dicey. Where am I really coming
from grading all these guards. Of course I talked to
some people. I look at PFF and you try to
like put them, But like, how do I grade and

(56:59):
put Ben Powers, for instance, versus Jacoby Brissette or Brandon
Graham and these players. I could get you suggestion you
didn't ask me before tape dog Just do the work,
grind it out, hours and hours and weeks and weeks
of dogging. Even then it's like, what exactly am I

(57:19):
looking for? Totally like you, like I do talk to
people who know and trust people that know more ultimately,
But I struggled with these guards. For instance, Powers was
fighting for a training camp spot at this time a
year ago or going into the season, was not even
a locked in guard. Then ended up having a season

(57:40):
that PFF one crazy for the Raven said he was
their best offensive lineman. He has positioned versatility, He kind
of came out of Noor and so I actually put him,
I think, first among all the guards. But it's like him,
it's Nate Davis, your guy in Tennessee who I was
pumping you for information throughout the year. It's a year
long process. But these guys who are like slightly above
average guards, But you really want to like spend a

(58:01):
lot of money to me, like, I'd rather spend my
money at other positions. Get an offensive line coach, get
with that. But I think if you're like, let's say
you're the Rams and you don't have a lot of
draft picks and you have to fix that line, like
someone like Ben Powers becomes the guy that twelve articles
are written about a week in the summer. If he
becomes a figure, those guys pay off that much. Though,

(58:21):
I feel like if you can just have a good
coaching staff and you develop your own guys, That's that's
why I have him low as like the best guard available. Yeah,
and some would say, you know, the wheel segment of
this conversation is not going well, But that was the
number one guard in the market, So you tell me,
was it not a bad place? So how would you
Nate Davis, Isaac Solomalo, Dalton Reisner, Ben Powers, And let's

(58:47):
throw on Ethan Pocheck because you know, really more of
a sixteen twenty four and the order that you just saidabetically, Yeah,
that a scattered them through the list. No one's gonna
notice the guards. Ralph just simply off about guard change
in your life. I want multiple more spins. All right,

(59:07):
spin it again. This needs to be something someone that
everyone knows. Yeah why, I don't know. Just this is
the time for Ben Powers to get his airtime. He's great.
Number seventy Damian Harris, all right, he did touch on
Damian though didn't way well barely. Though Damien was on
your fantasy team though, Dad, he was once upon a time.
He's a good I think he's better, but he kind

(59:29):
of fell out of favor, maybe a favor with Belichick,
but he certainly Remondre Stevenson kind of became the guy there.
But Harris, I think is a good one two punch
type dude. I don't know if I want him leading
my field. I think he's an amazing free agent pick up.
Like I'd actually rather have him than Miles Sanders maybe
now that I think, how about how about those guys

(59:49):
as a tandem that perfect like just as a pure
runner explosiveness making him as he's one of the best
pure runners I think the Patriots have ever had. But
he's been hurt in a little limited in passing game.
I'm gonna just do a little, uh little wiggle here,
a little audible. I'm gonna talk about the guy ahead
and below, Damien Harris, Fletcher Cox. How about that? Fletcher

(01:00:12):
Cox will be thirty two, was a major part of
what was until Super Bowl fifty seven a dominant defensive
line for the Eagles. Brandy Graham is also in the
mix here. These pass rushers, Greg, They're not gonna get
big deals, but they'll they should get those one maybe
two year deals. Is a rotational type guy. Yeah. I've

(01:00:34):
had Cox almost off the list because he was at
first and then I looked in at the end of
the year he was really playing well. Graham was is
gonna be in the top forty? Is Graham on the list?
We've had these debates with guys who are avoided or
not because technically saying Graham is at some point he
will be there. Though he will he is there at
forty five, there's different variations. And then we have at

(01:00:55):
number seventy one, Alan Lazard. Interesting Aaron Rodgers. As you wrote, Greg,
he was big last season offseason, before the season started out.
This is the dude, he's my number one receiver. Um,
what kind of market would he have with the Packers
want to bring that guy back? He said he was
Scaron Rodgers or Jordan l It was gonna be bougie
about where he where he went. He's had a great experience,

(01:01:18):
great experience in Green Bay's gonna go to some half
baked operation. Like I kind of qualified as like every
team needs three or four receivers. How many that are
available you can put into one of those rotations and
he's gonna be a good player for you. Lazard was
kind of my cutoff. Yeah, I like Darius Slayton a lot,
and in the fifties, I like Dju Like they can
be in that rotation. After that, then you're kind of guessing.

(01:01:40):
There's Mac Collins, There's Jarvis Landry if he can stay healthy,
Nelson Agilar, bunch of guys, Sterling Shepard. I'm waiting healthy,
just a bunch of guys. I want to spend the
wheel again. I don't care what Dan says, let's go.
I didn't say we shouldn't spend the wheel good. I said,
let's get a let's get a name that matters all.
They're human beings, see that. I'm just gonna spin the

(01:02:01):
wheel one hundred and fifty times. What are we doing?
Mike has to talk about that. I think Mike Gasecki,
who was you know, talked about last summer, is like, oh,
he doesn't fit into the Mike McDaniel offense. Like Mike Asecki,
there are a couple interesting tight ends in general in
this whole free agent crop, and I think he in
the right offense, is a difference maker. I'd like him,

(01:02:22):
And I don't know why people say he's uh Mikasecki.
I don't think that. I think who would say that? Stop?
I think he said it. Well, well, some people thought
that when he wasn't producing. But yeah, maybe he just
needs to wait beyond Is he your second tight end
after Schultz? H Ingram right above him, So there are
three good tight end. Schultz last year was very productive

(01:02:44):
once he was back from injury with Dak Prescott, like,
I think they kind of have to keep him, and
then Evan Ingram had a nice season. I think they
will franchise tag him. But Gasecki is a good example
of one of my things is people just make these
rankings and they just talk about the previous year and
they don't look at the whole. But when they were
just using him as a slot receiver, he's a great
tight end. Slot receiver, which to me is a very

(01:03:06):
useful trait. You know who could use him. It's your
New York Jets because they have a lot of tight ends.
We have so many, but they don't have one that
matters to me that like is a plus starter. They're
they're fine, Tyler Conklin. They improved greatly from like one
of the worst groups in the league to like now
we're okay. Uh And maybe they're a team that should
draft someone with But they have a Samah. I mean,

(01:03:28):
I think they don't have a quarterback. More the issue
than this, to me, I think they would be they
have a perfectly services would be an instant. It could
run like three. How many of those guys are making
big player? I think, as Conklin was, Zama is not
a pass catcher. You know, he's a blocking guy. How
many yards did he had? Two hundred yards? Yeah, they
were using I don't know if they I don't know

(01:03:48):
if he's got a future of the team. I know
he probably didn't sign up for the role he ended
up having. You know, I like him in England. By
the way, I think you have Ingram one spot ahead
of gaseki Um and I think the Jaguars will be
crazy to let him get away, because yeah, that feels
like a thing where if he ever got to the

(01:04:09):
open market, um, and you had an offense that could
use him the right way. AKA, don't ask him to
be a you know, a blocking type tenant, Let him
be a playmaker. I think he's an ascending guy that's
gotten out of the giants uh mud and found his
way with Jacksonville Wells. One of the types of guys
that I actually you can find value in free agency.
It's possible. They signed him last year for one year,

(01:04:32):
nine million dollars. I mean, that was a nice deal.
Now they've just got to tag him for a similar amount.
He was number fifty on my list a year ago,
and I'm looking at this list and uh, you know,
I underrated him, And then I'm also seeing Hassan Reddick
wasn't even in the top. It happens, It happens, It happens.

(01:04:53):
Who all right, who in this list? Greg, are you
most worried about becoming the Hassan redd of twenty twenty three,
because there will be somebody, so anybody that you really
you had him lower and you're like, oh, my way
off on this one. I gotta roll forward. I gotta
I got the movers come in. I got a bunch
of bob. My wife's got to do the plumbing. There

(01:05:14):
was a lot of issues this weekend that we who
do you worry about that can greatly exceed in terms
of value based on where you have them? Win is
at fifty one. He's a Patriot's first round pick that
at times episode a very high level of play. Those
are the types of players that worry me. But he's
coming off some injuries and was definitely out of favor

(01:05:36):
with the Patriots. But like he's shown it, maybe in
the right system he could do it. He's won. Did
I underrate some of these pass rushers? I don't know.
Sampson Ebacom was pretty good last year. What if you
get like a late career or a latter career like
latent vandersh explosion with the right team like vanderish Port.
Jamal Williams seventeen touchdowns this year and he's at seventy eight.

(01:05:57):
Our friend, he was one of those where I was
like doing the third pass and I was like, shoot,
I don't even have Jamal Williams on this ranking at all.
I gotta I gotta after he came on our show,
he's gotta come on. Let's zoom him up to seventy eight.
Julian loves it. Interesting safety. You kind of came out
of nowhere for the Giants last year had a nice
lot of safety. Robert Woods made the top one hundred.

(01:06:18):
I was shot an old guy there, Bobby Trees. How
about this? Is it when you you've been on the
Around the NFL podcast, you get preferential treat all right,
that's only makes sense. Um. Or if we think you're
coming on the air on the NFL podcast and then
a safety shows up instead, roll out the carpet for you. UM.
Is it the way to judge whether or not you

(01:06:39):
UM got it right? Quote unquote. Is it how the
guy plays in the upcoming season? Or is it when
let's say, I'll throw a name out there. If if
Justin Houston ends up getting a nice deal for instantly
he's too old, let me go with Tyler Rapp ends
up getting a much bigger deal than you thought he would.
Does that mean it's already the your list was off.

(01:07:03):
It's what teams think. I think if you, I mean,
if you really wanted to do it, you'd have to
like look a year from now and compare it to
other lists who I was higher on versus them, and
how those players did. Like Zach Allen was one as
I did the list Cardinals, and no one, uh you know,
benefited more from Hard Knocks than Zach Allen. I know one.
No one watched Hard Knocks. He's at fourteen, Yeah, he's

(01:07:25):
at fourteen. He kept a sneaking up the list higher
and higher, higher and higher, and I was like, that's
who I would want and free. What was it like,
Zach Allen? Million people that didn't see it? What did
Zack Allen do on Hard Knocks that he just seemed
like like a good guy to have around. He was like,
you know, trying to be the next JJ Watt and
he kept and he played really well. He was one
of their few players and he had a monster see vance.

(01:07:47):
Joseph also to me was highly impressive. I think if
you were an owner and he watched them, You're just like,
that's a freaking dude that I would want in front
of my player. He did the rare thing where he
went back to the team where he failed his head coach.
You don't write, you don't see that. I kind of
dig that was for that. This was Mark's U take.
You got to you gotta be open to go back
to remember this take of yours last week when we

(01:08:10):
mentioned the Evans Joseph news and he said that was
Mark's long standing take and didn't remember. You just said
it again. It's multiple times where it's like you go
when you at the Peter Principal thing, you fail as
the head coach, but there's that opening you go back
to a place, come back home. I was impressed with
his leadership. But Zach Allen, let's go Zach Allen, Draymont Jones,
let's go. Those are guys I'm pretty high. I like, uh,

(01:08:31):
since I'm looking at it, Lavante David at nineteen thirty
three years old, but I could see him having even
though it didn't work. Again, it didn't work out with
the Rams and Bobby Wagner. If you're a team that's
looking for some a veteran that could come in and
deliver some high level play for a year or two,
you do a lot worse than him. Right. That's the
thing is like people are always looking for the young

(01:08:53):
guys that can spend huge money on. But you Bobby
Wagner was a great deal last year. Ultimately, like he
performed for more than he was worth. Right, he's not
on the team anymore. Very straight greg Number twenty four
Marcus Davenport. I feel like that's a tough guy to know,
like to spend a lot of money on because he
seems like he could be awesome, but then he's also

(01:09:14):
unavailable half the time. He would have been in the
top ten if it was a year ago. I've always
been a huge fan of Davenport. He's a kind of player.
I like he's like a poor man's Jadevian Clowney. He's
just so strong and he creates pressure and he's just
like doesn't need to be subtle because he just makes
other guys look. But he never stays healthy. And the
Saints were very glad to see you finally took Clowney

(01:09:34):
off this list because now he's there one. What is this?
I can't I can't show. I can't shake my fists
anymore about this one season season last year, down on
the team at the end of well, that's why I
put him down at forty one. I think that's lower
that only the duck that he quit on the team.
Let's check some other list I have drop. Now it's

(01:09:56):
time for me to check him because I don't want
them get let's war it is PFF clowney. Let's just
find him. What is this? What does okay? I'm just saying, like,
am I crazy? He's always been like a PFF darling
that guy. I think Also, it's a there's a lack
of edge rushers, and maybe you're just taking a position
and moving it up a little bit because it's it's
rough out there. If you're looking for an edge rusher,

(01:10:17):
you're looking to the drift or trades. There's gotta be
some good names being cut that I'll make this list
look a little sexier. You do have Unique and Gawquay
at thirty three. That's a pretty good edge rusher. Good
point forgot about him. It's been the wheel again. Oh good.
As we wrapped this up, we're bringing it in for
a landing. Caleb McGarry. Let's get Caleb McGarry in there,

(01:10:40):
number thirty. Oh well, I just brought him up. Wait,
who is it? I landed on Unique and Gaway? Who
I just that's Bridget. It's a little worrisome. He's like
gonna be on his fifth team into four years, but
he does produce fifty three. Marcus Peters, Oh, Marcus Peters.

(01:11:04):
Is that a nice career to put him higher? Or
I just wanted to see how long can we stay
silent and Dan just talk about thirty Okay. Well, he's
back from the ACL and he's a starting quarter Okay,
I think he's a starting good spot. And actually the
fact that he stepped in last year, it was like

(01:11:25):
immediately back to being solid enough. He just seems like
one of those guys so you can kind of like,
I don't know, they age really well until they don't
and then they're done. But he's just like a player,
you know, I'm not saying it right, but he's kind
of like a dog. He knows how to play. You
can put him on any team and he can take
up snaps for you. There's actually some decent cornerbacks available

(01:11:48):
above him. Jonathan Jones I mentioned Jamal Dean is a
good starter who's in my top twenty for the Bucks.
He's a solid player. Bradberry and now, without further ado,
we discuss as as he every year. He likes to
have a name brand Greggy at one oh one and
this year is no different. Drum roll please, The number

(01:12:13):
one oh one ranked player and Greg's NFL free agents
countdown is Baker Mayfield. I mean it is it even perfect?
One on one? He is not accurate, but it is perfect.
It's not accurate. I think it's perfect. What what if
I told you that there was another quarterback and his

(01:12:36):
last seventeen starts when you measure the two QB's last seventeen,
this guy too that this quarterback has more touchdown passes,
fewer turnovers, a higher passer rating, more passing yards, a
higher completion percentage, fewer sacks, less drama. But you know
who I was talking about? Yeah, I don't know. Come on,

(01:12:59):
I'm just saying, Oh, those are all facts. That's not
my opinion. All all that data favors Darnald. I'm I'm
a human, absolutely right, And if he just hadn't made
that last start of the season, which I happened to watch,
I'm a human and sometimes the last sometimes the last
thing you saw ways too heavily. I will admit to

(01:13:22):
having that problem. Like Miles Sanders was a kind of
a problem for the Eagles in the Super Bowl. A
couple bad runs couldn't keep him in bouncing too the outside.
That hurt him. Sam Darnald had that great run where
I'm like, wow, this is everything we ever wanted out
of Sam Darnald. He's really better than ever. And then
he showed up in week eighteen. I think it was
against the Saints. I watched that game and he was
a total disaster and it was just like, I get

(01:13:43):
dressed this guy, Get dressed him. I think he saved
his career though as a like a number two. I
don't think you can go in with the starter if
you're if you're Sam Darnald, but I think Baker Mayfield too.
At mid season, we had a conversation that Baker Mayfield
may never play again because of the Baker Mayfield experience
on top of the bad play. The Rams thing was
kind of a blessing. It was like it was I

(01:14:04):
think saved his career and got him another number two country.
The Saints are talking about him as a potential starter,
which sounds like did you well, so did you see
like Baker's last start of the season, for instance, against
the Yeah, Bakers had some ugly My point is not
I don't want to get to go down when I
do this five for fifteen for forty three and three
turn rivers, and that was after hitting like his last

(01:14:26):
two or three passes. I think he had like here
what the Christmas Day start where he was like twenty two.
I'm talking about yeah Mayfield. Let me just say this
that I'm not saying that Sam Donald should be one
oh one. I'm saying I think I saw your your
raw list and you had Donald at one fourteen or so.
I think that's where Baker should be as well. I
think they're basically the same. Like if you want a

(01:14:47):
guy who's a backup, but if you want a little
more sizzle on your steak. Well thought about Minshew because
he felt like a nice one. That's who I wrote.
I haven't written right here, and I was like, you
know what, I'm gonna give Minshew some credit. I'm actually
gonna just I would rather have beensued than Baker. I
got him a little higher up. I got him for
this exercise. Baker's the perfect one and one to go

(01:15:08):
to Sean Kipson. There's nothing I mean, I don't have
an issue with it. I just was pointing out that statistically,
and it's not just staring at box scores or whatever it's.
You know, Baker would give you some moments. I take
Mayfield's highs over Darnold ties, but I take neither of
them as I think Baker could be like a fitzpat
Patrick type guy where he can come in for three

(01:15:29):
or four games and give you some juice. I mean,
Saints are talking about making him the starter. P Saints
have no the Saints are out of out of options.
In general, there's interest in Baker Mayfield. Like I think
I had to do it. I think I had to
do it just twenty five free agents of twenty twenty two,
like before the season started, and you know, Baker was

(01:15:50):
in the top five. So it wasn't that long ago
that I had a completely different opinion, not blind. I
think it's changed. There's something about Baker that people gravitate towards,
and it's when he has those games people get excited
about him. I think I think he might be the
best one on one ever in the sense that like
well GINO one to number two, Well, I mean no,

(01:16:13):
I just mean in juice and just like yeah, I
like I like it. I like the idea of having
someone in there that spurs debate. I think he's limited. Yeah,
I think, and maybe you think I overrate Gino and
I definitely have a certain type. I like the quarterbacks
that are really quarterbacking out there, and I feel like
that's where Baker. I don't know if he's ever gonna
get there in terms of like making full feel reads

(01:16:36):
and like, but he can give you us, give us
some juice. But Gino, like I, I disagreed with you
that I think Derek Carr is better value. But I
have right around top five as well. It's six or that.
Actually know what i'd have Gino over Daniel Jones. I
gotta be honest with you, so I would I would
have him at maybe five on this list. But otherwise, Greg,
you've done great work. Mark. Do you have any final thoughts?

(01:16:56):
I am bowled over by the work Greg is done.
Been excellent. Yes, it continues to be. You know what's
it doesn't bowl me over is that one x drow
week that we uh work now because of the eighteenth
Yes season, you feel one no one season really start.
You know, it's there's no cruise for me anymore. That

(01:17:18):
it's ruined my that little spot that's a tough that
is got to get in there. It's a bad beat,
but you're also extremely fortunate, incredibly, we are very lucky
to do what we do. Yeah, maybe I think we
we're you know, we're still talking about the eighteenth week
of the season. Maybe we need a table that combo.
It's not changing, it's gonna get longer. So we're we're

(01:17:39):
based on the only people left still talking about it.
It's not guaranteed. Uh, this is continuing, all right, justin
do you have any thoughts before we say goodbye? Wow,
Robert Woods on the list, Come on, it's personal for you.
Taylor the one not on the list, Yeah, that was
I mean, this is a t said like he doesn't

(01:18:02):
know if he can like function in his everyday life
and he's not sure if he ever wants to play football.
That's a gots to go off the list situation. He
was on it until then. So he's also got a
hit podcast of his own by the way, so oh yeah,
that's where we got the quotes from. And then he
was like, yeah, like, I don't know if I'm ever sorry.
Did you dig into all the other players that that
podcasts on this list to see anywhere their mental Patrick

(01:18:23):
Peterson for example, he's a show let's get on the list,
which is another year of removed from that surgery, which
is a hard one to recover from. And he had
a couple of moments where it's like, I think you
could he passed my like can you throw him into
a good team as your third or fourth receiver and
he's gonna get you six hundred yards and help your team.
I think he could see the Rams bringing him back. Yeah,

(01:18:44):
Cooper Couple is locker room leader, making it, making noise
about it. Bobby Trees also he took a picture with
my son. That's that's nice that colors. You're ranking No.
Di Teller one is thirty one. He's three time Pro bowler. Yeah,
but he hasn't literally been able to stay on the field.
And he he was saying, uh, that doesn't hurt you

(01:19:05):
know Teddy Bridgewater. Teddy Bridgewater has played football in the
last few years, and he wasn't saying that he might
not be able to continue to play football. Taylor Lawan
two out of the last three years played five games
or less and it's coming up. It might not play.
It sounded like he was going to retire. That was
part of the I agree with that. It did sound
like it sounded like he doesn't want to play football anymore.

(01:19:26):
He's got a thriving podcast up. This podcast, it's come
up multiple times. Is it Busting with the Boys? Good?
It's he's He's drive the Pat McAfee. Uh, I've yet
to catch an app. Will Compton is also like a
major Him and Taylor Lawan did this together. And Will

(01:19:46):
always gets offended because everyone just says it's Taylor's podcast,
and like Will does a lot of the legwork. But
tough sitch. Yeah, I'm sure he's thrilled or discussing that, right, right,
I M it happens on all podcast as, even to
all three co hosts. Right, just not good. It bothers me.

(01:20:07):
But why is it so important? I'll talk to my
age and about host. Is you understand Greg and I
did not engineer that. We just discovered that. I don't
want I feel like hosts. You are the host of
this podcast. But when you think of hosts in the
traditional sense, that's sort of like an old media thing
where it's like the host doesn't have their own opinions necessarily,

(01:20:31):
they're not They're just like setting people up and this
and that and that's not you either, So you want
to be put I think sane. I think I am
a new age host. I think innovator age. It's not
it wouldn't. Um, that's These are all terms that people
have thrown out. Um, where did we start? How long
is this podcast? What is the appropriate term for what

(01:20:53):
Mark and Greg do on the show? If it's not
co question, I would ask that, Um, can you give
me one show, like a day to think about it?
And then I'll yeah, I'll throw out some analyst. But
that feels it's too important for that side. No, I
think yeah, I think what's what's crucial is you need

(01:21:14):
to make a line of demarcation. Justin that shows that
we are lesser than and it makes Dan feel better. Yeah,
justin throwing out sidekicks that would work. I think they
would like that. What if I run an analysis on
all the minutes that each of you have spent talking
on this show? I don't want to find out. I

(01:21:35):
don't think that would help anyone. Um, all right, that's it.
Good stuff. Check it out, Greggy, excellent work. Top one
on one. We'll be back on Wednesday and we're gonna
start digging into the coaches, GM's press conferences, the news.
Maybe Lamar Jackson gets traded. That would be nice. A

(01:21:56):
lot coming up. He the call,

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Gregg Rosenthal

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